The Runesmith

Chapter 662: Slowing Them Down.

Roland sat within the tall grass, waiting for the mana flow beneath his feet to shift so he could move forward. At the same time he studied his map and the cluster of dots that had just entered the plain behind him. All of them were tier three adventurers, nearly twenty people in total. It was not a group he could simply ignore.

He had come here for several reasons. One was to place additional sensors. The other was to investig3ate the ruin. It opened rarely but at regular intervals. For a brief period the entrance revealed itself, allowing explorers to descend into the ancient structure before sealing shut again. No one had ever determined what mechanism controlled it, and every expedition had failed to find a side entrance.

‘If only I had more time to prepare…’

His mind raced with possible answers to his current problem. Roland had not had much time to investigate the situation because of his schedule. Millie had given him the initial information, and he had checked the guild records to learn a little more, but he had not examined the matter thoroughly. The expedition was supposed to begin in a few more days, yet for some reason, the adventurers had decided to move sooner.

‘I wonder why they are rushing things. Could the ruin be opening sooner this time, or is there another reason?’

There was little time to investigate. His overhead cameras could not transmit sound to his suit, so he had no way of hearing what they were saying. All he could do was press forward and hope he reached the destination first. Now he had a decision to make. He could abandon his current mission or continue while perhaps doing something to slow the group down.

Even though the party was large, it was still smaller than a proper expedition, which would normally include twice or even three times as many people. When treasure was involved, deception was never unusual. It was possible that the opening time of the ruins had been falsified and that this group had moved several days ahead of schedule to reach the true opening.

Adventurers from across the kingdom would eventually arrive, all hoping to reach the end of the hidden dungeon buried within another dungeon. That seemed like the most likely explanation. If that was the case, then if he arrived in time, he might not even need to worry about opening the entrance himself.

‘Slowing these people down will not be difficult.’

There was a specific path through this plain, and the adventurers following behind him were using it. They were tracing the currents in the ground to avoid detection by the drakes. The group was large enough to fight them if necessary, but it was clear they wanted to reach the ruin before word spread that it had opened.

“Woof?”

“Oh, this? Just something for our friends behind us, Agni.”

Agni looked at Roland as he placed a cube covered in runes into the ground. The runes shone for a moment and shifted in shape before the cube vanished beneath the soil. Once it was in place, Roland began moving again with the magical currents. For the time being, he had only an hour or two of head start, but once the adventurers arrived in this area, he hoped to extend it to at least twice that.

The wind rolled across the plains in long waves, bending the towering grass in slow arcs that shimmered beneath the pale dungeon sky. Roland moved with those waves, careful to place each step exactly where the mana currents beneath the soil directed him.

Behind him, the cluster of dots on his map continued forward. Twenty signatures, all tier three and all moving with a certain level of discipline. Even though they likely did not belong to a single party, they were all seasoned adventurers, professionals of their craft.

Thanks to his sensors and his mana pattern database, he knew who some of these people were. Four of them belonged to a party of adventurers he had previously run into, one of whom was a powerful mage capable of detecting some of his creations. Another belonged to the same group involved in Ermes’ abduction and attempted murder. Their leader was someone unknown to him, but also someone quite close to level three hundred.

‘They have prepared some heavy hitters, so they should be fine if some of the drakes target them…’

Roland continued moving across the plains. Eventually, the group of adventurers arrived near the spot where he had been earlier. The underground mana currents followed certain patterns, but some areas remained stationary, and the place where he had set his trap was one of them. Once the group reached it, the time to cause some chaos had arrived.

“Agni, once I give you the sign, we start running as fast as we can. Don’t look back, even if you see some of those drakes.”

“Woof!”

Agni’s ears twitched at Roland’s words, the wolf’s body tensing as he prepared himself. The large beast clearly understood the meaning behind that tone. Whenever Roland used it, something dangerous usually followed.

Roland’s eyes remained fixed on the map projected inside his helmet. The cluster of dots was nearing the device he had planted, and even if it were discovered now, it was already too late.

‘That man again?’

As he watched, he noticed something. The dot representing the man called Volyn moved forward, as if he had sensed that something was wrong. This man had previously detected Roland’s attempts to hide certain monsters, and once again, he seemed to sense something unusual. However, it did not matter. The activation process was already underway, and this time Roland could even hear them.

“What is it, mage? This should be the correct path.”

“It should be, but… something isn’t right…”

The man named Volyn held out his staff and muttered something, but before he could finish, a pale blue pulse erupted from the ground where Roland had placed his device.

“Now Agni… let’s go.”

The moment it happened, the tall grass around the adventurers began shaking violently, drawing the attention of a whole group of Drakes. The pulse spread outward in a circular wave, rippling through the mana currents beneath the ground and throwing them into disarray.

When the grass started to move, and its natural swaying stopped, the massive Drakes in the area turned their heads. The familiar rhythm of the grass was broken, and their roars quickly filled the air.

“What the hell was that?”

One of the adventurers shouted as chaos erupted.

“Drakes! Multiple… all coming this way!”

Another voice called out in warning as two Drakes were already charging in their direction, with a third not far behind. The first Drake burst from the grass like a living battering ram. Its scaled body tore through the towering blades with explosive force. Its jaws opened wide and a stream of searing orange flame surged forward.

“Scatter!”

Someone yelled, and the adventurers reacted immediately. They were professionals after all. Shields shone with magical barriers. Warriors rushed to the front while the mages and archers stepped back. Soon a spell resembling a massive tower shield materialised before them.

“Barrier Wall!”

Flames washed over the shimmering barrier and splashed against it like liquid fire. That was only the first Drake, and another quickly followed. The surrounding grass was instantly vaporized by the flames, leaving the adventurers fully exposed. To make matters worse, the remaining tall grass began retracting as if trying to hide from the battle.

“More on the left!”

A ranger shouted as a second Drake lunged from the grass and tackled one of the warriors. The impact sent both of them crashing into the dirt. The monster’s claws scraped against enchanted armor, and sparks flew as the man struggled to shove the creature away.

“Get it off me!”

A spear flashed down from above. The Drake shrieked as the weapon pierced through the joint of its neck, dark blood spraying across the grass.

“Get ahold of yourself.”

A booming voice carried across the battlefield as a large man stepped forward. His armor was heavy and layered with powerful enchantments. The most striking thing about him was the massive spear in his hands. Its blade was as long as a broadsword but thicker and wider.

The shaft was just as massive, yet the man held it comfortably in his oversized hands. The third Drake was already charging, but before it could reach them, the armored warrior took aim.

His weapon was engulfed in a deep crimson aura that burst forward. Like a javelin, the spear shot ahead and struck the monster’s forehead. The instant it hit, the entire head of the Drake snapped backward as if it had been struck by a siege weapon.

A shockwave burst outward from the point of impact. Scales shattered, bone cracked, and the massive creature was hurled several meters back before crashing through the grass.

The spear did not stop. It punched through the skull, continued through the monster’s body, and embedded itself deep into the earth beyond with a thunderous boom. For a brief moment the battlefield went quiet. Then the spear jerked backward and flew straight back into the hand of the man who had thrown it.

“So that’s their leader. He seems rather strong.”

Roland watched everything through his helmet as he and Agni kept running. The spearman was the group’s strongest fighter and the main reason these people would probably not have much trouble defeating the monsters.

While his act of alerting the Drakes to the adventurers’ location might have seemed villainous, it was something that came with their profession. They had also seemingly lied to other adventurers to reach this ruin and would not hesitate to battle other groups for the treasure hidden inside. Roland would not show people like them the same mercy he reserved for ordinary travelers. Even though most of his actions aligned with the righteous side, that did not mean he would spare those who operated in the gray areas of morality.

Name:

Augar L 292

Classes:

T3 Aura High-Spearmaster L42

T3 Aura Spearmaster L100

T2 Aura Spearman L50

T1 Spirit Spearman L50

T1 Spear Warrior L25

T1 Warrior L25

Because of this man, Roland was not particularly worried about the group’s survival. Augar was far stronger than the Drakes roaming this area. Luckily for them, the plains were vast, and the higher-level Drakes were not present here. Even though these creatures had a herd mentality, the attack would eventually stop, but it would buy Roland enough time to escape.

Thus, he ignored the mana currents and started running as fast as he could. Using his glider at low altitude was possible for the moment, but he did not want to draw attention to himself. Revealing technology that could be traced back to Albrook and his true identity was something he preferred to avoid unless absolutely necessary. Too many eyes were already watching that city, and if word spread that a rune-engineered glider had been seen deep inside this dungeon, someone might start asking the wrong questions.

For now, speed and concealment would have to be enough. Roland lowered his posture and accelerated, his boots barely touching the ground as he moved in a straight line toward the exit. With the adventurers making so much noise, there was no need for him to follow the previous path. Most of the Drakes would be drawn to the commotion, giving him and Agni the perfect opportunity to slip away.

Behind them, the sounds of battle intensified. Roars, explosions, and the crackle of flame breath echoed across the plains. Roland did not need to turn around to know the adventurers had fully engaged the drake herd.

“They’ll survive. With some luck, it should buy me enough time to figure out the ruins.”

The plains slowly began to thin out as he advanced. The grass dropped from three meters to two, then eventually to waist height. Rocky outcroppings started appearing across the terrain, breaking up the endless sea of green. The air also began to change.

Roland noticed it first through his suit’s sensors. The mana density ahead was rising in irregular pulses. The currents twisted and folded over each other in unnatural spirals.

“Agni, slow down.”

“Woof.”

The wolf obeyed instantly, dropping from a full sprint to a cautious trot beside him.

“So this is the second problematic area. No wonder adventurers don’t usually come here.”

A new sight appeared ahead of him. A sparse forest filled with massive honeycomb structures. They hung from crooked stone pillars, clung to the trunks of twisted dungeon trees, and in some places even rose directly out of the ground like amber towers.

Each honeycomb was easily the size of a house, and a low, constant buzzing filled the air. Roland stopped at the edge of the field and crouched slightly, allowing his visor to scan the area.

“Dormant for now. If I make even a small sound, they’ll swarm.”

Normally, adventurers relied on concealment magic or specialized alchemical concoctions to erase their scent and to discourage attacks from these dungeon bees. Roland simply disrupted the surrounding flow of mana with a controlled spell. A few minutes later, he and Agni began moving slowly through the area while all sound around them remained suppressed.

“I suppose the cat is out of the bag now, so I might as well…”

Once he crossed the area, he looked back toward the drake plains where the adventurers were still trapped, then turned his gaze to the beehives. The mage had already realized that a trap had been set. Even though Roland’s device had destroyed itself after activating, they already knew someone was ahead of them.

There was no point hiding it now. If anything, it was better to improve his chances of reaching the ruins by delaying them further.

“Woof…”

“It’s not like I enjoy this, Agni. They can turn back and go home at any moment.”

Agni gave him a strange look as Roland placed several more devices around the area. They were set to awaken the bees the moment the adventurers arrived.

There was only one practical path to the ruins. The other route would take far longer and lead through even more dangerous territory.

“Let’s go.”

“Worf…”

The blank cubes reshaped themselves into the proper devices and disappeared into the terrain. Soon they moved on toward the rapids. Crossing them required jumping from stone to stone, but not all of the rocks were real. Some were hollow illusions that would collapse the moment someone stepped on them.

To make matters worse, the current was strong enough to sweep away even a tier three class holder. Large draconic fish also lurked below, making the wide river especially deadly to cross.

“And one on this one as well.”

To block the path ahead, he destroyed the rocks immediately after passing through. For a moment, he wondered if he should place explosives that would detonate the moment an adventurer jumped onto the rock. That idea would probably cause casualties, so he decided instead to block the regular route entirely by shattering the stones.

The mages in their group would eventually be able to restore them or use levitation to get everyone across, but it would take at least another hour to move the entire party to the other side. That delay would give him even more time to explore.

His trip of mischief continued. On the way to the ruins, he left more and more inconveniences for the other adventuring group. A chasm with a shaky bridge was next. Once he reached the other side, he simply cut the rope that held it in place and moved on. Then, right before the final stretch, Roland finally slowed down.

The terrain ahead dipped into a shallow basin surrounded by curved stone formations that looked almost like the ribs of some gigantic fossilized beast. The ground had changed again. Instead of grass or soil, it was covered in smooth gray plates that fit together like a natural mosaic. Before him loomed the draconic maw he had seen from afar, and it was truly gigantic.

“That’s not a statue… those are fossilized bones?”

The entrance to the draconic ruins stood before him. From a distance, it looked like a dragon head spitting out water, and the roar of the massive waterfall was impossible to miss. Now that he had arrived, however, the truth was different. The water was not coming out of the dragon’s mouth. It fell beside it, creating the illusion of water spilling.

“So that has to be the entrance…”

Roland stepped closer to the enormous structure while Agni padded silently beside him. Up close, the illusion of a carved statue completely vanished. Time, dungeon growth, and mineral deposits had fused stone and bone. The dragon’s head was as large as a castle, and within it he could see something that resembled a sealed temple entrance, one that strangely seemed to beckon him inside.